A wonderful debut! I enjoyed the relationship between the two main characters and the honesty and humor between them throughout the book. It was refreshing to read an MMC that was upfront about his feelings and faults, and wasn’t afraid to do what was needed to protect his newly found siblings (including keeping a sassy kitten). As someone who feels the need to fix things and plan, I felt akin to Selina and loved how she was characterized and took charge of helping herself and others. The steamy scenes were well done and not closed door or tame. Also enjoyed the supporting characters and hope to dive more into their lives in subsequent books (if it is to be a series). One critique I have is that for some reason the doctor was referred to by his full name multiple times even though he’s a family friend - minor, but a little jarring. It also felt that there were two distinct halves to the book, which I didn’t mind, but also didn’t quite know if one of the storylines/conflicts was truly needed.

One of my favorite tropes in romance is “one character needs a spouse and the other character will help them but oh no oops they fall in love” trope. I don’t think I’ve ever read one with heroine helping the hero and I really liked it here! I also really loved the kids which can sometimes be hit or miss in romances depending on how they’re written and it really works here. The romance between the two leads is sexy and exactly what I’m looking for in a romance. Highly recommend!

I'm obsessed with this book! Alexandra Vasti is clearly so smart and educated, and that shines through in her writing. She understands the tropes and trends of historical romance but has updated them so brilliantly. Her writing had me laughing out loud multiple times, her sex scenes are swoony, and her characters are so lovable. I'll be recommending this to every histrom lover I know!

Sadly this one just wasn’t for me, I got maybe 15% of the way through and I couldn’t get into it, there was a lot of character dumping in the first few chapters and my poor wee brain just didn’t know who anyone was

these characters were likable and fun, and the spice was spicing!!! this was sexy, sweet and funny. a great historical comfort read. this was a really good debut book. I cant wait to see what this author writes next!

Alexandra Vasti is a shining new star in Historical Romance. I wanted to both savour and devour this book, I adore the characters Vasti creates and the story she weaves. Her writing flows so well and I was immersed and engaged the whole time.

MMC Peter can’t seem to help but get caught up in the middle of the most ridiculous situations. While FMC Selina needs to fix everyone’s life. Of course her trying to fix Peter’s life winds up with them married, the matchmaker becoming the match is one of my favourite tropes!

There are underage half-siblings, Dukes left right and center, one water-logged doggo, and an erotic (but educational!) book collection. Peter and Selina’s story was entertaining and engaging, and at times quite sad, but in the end so loving and caring. The Ravenscrofts were an absolute delight and I hope we get to see more of these characters in future books.

Alexandra Vasti has a way with words that makes her writing imminent readable and with this book she’s on my auto-buy author list.

This book is the best of historic romance. It is clever, witty, swoony, romantic, sexy, and just all around *enjoyable* to read. Selina and Peter are both delightfully vulnerable and earnest characters that are trying their best to be good people in challenging circumstances. Their stumbling courtship in the first half reminded me of Georgette Heyer's best witticisms and situational antics, while the second half brings them together to confront external conflict as a team. They communicate in all the best ways (ahem), and it's a delight to read them grow together as a couple, and be shored up by supportive family to boot! On top of this, you get historically accurate erotic terms and literary allusions throughout, which are treated with the good humor they deserve. Just a wonderful book start to finish and I am already planning my reread!

It's a very cute, comedic feel-good romance novel and I definitely would recommend it as light or fluff reading! Parts of it made me laugh out loud. There were a couple of scenes that seemed to lack depth or were a little odd such as when background information was added mid to late storyline, thus why I only rated it as 4 stars. Overall, a cute funny read and one I'll recommend to anyone looking for a bit of light-hearted historical romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This historical romance was so much fun! Excellent side characters, great chemistry with the main couple, and a funny little plot detail with the erotic library,

My favorite part was that the little brothers reminded me of the little brother in a Georgette Heyer novel I love, Frederica. The highest of compliments to be compared to Ms. Heyer!

This book was so excellent I finished it in a day. The build up to Peter and Selina being together has the just the right amount of angst. When they get together it is steamy and perfect. Their love felt genuine and I appreciated that there was no third act “break up”.

Freddie and Lou bring such fun to the story. In fact all of the secondary characters are well written and I’d read a book based around any of them. I would particularly love to read a novel based around Lydia Hope-Wallace, perhaps that will be next?

It's no surprise I enjoyed Alexandra Vasti's first full length novel after falling in love with her Halifax Hellions series.
Peter and Selina are a great couple and the children, Lu and Freddie are adorable. And there's even Peter, the cat. Selina tries to be match maker for Peter - you know that's doomed to fail! Georgiana is one of the best supporting characters and I look forward to reading her story!

The new Duke of Stanhope need to marry a respectable woman to save his reputation. Selina is supposedly the most debutatne except that she secretly runs an erotic circulating library for women. He asks for her help to find a proper bride....

I love Peter's siblings. They are so cute and funny. They really stole all the scenes they are in. Peter and Selina are funny together. I enjoy them a lot.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I was lucky enough to hear an excerpt from Ne're Duke Well at an event Alexandra Vasti did months before I was able to read it. Since then I have been incredibly excited to get my hands on this book and it didn't disappoint!

I loved Selina and Peter as a couple. He is so incredibly good at getting himself into scandalous situations and Selena is very talented at getting him out of them. While this could be a burden for Selena, instead she gets to enjoy the freedom of Peter's impulsivity and help him manage the consequences. They both make each other better and happier. They also share a determination to help people regardless of the cost. I think shared values of that sort are truly what makes a relationship work long-term.

One thing that was beautifully well done about this book, was that it is a historical romance that deals with the politics and rules of a completely different society, and yet it is still relatable to modern readers. When Selina talks about the consequences that women face from living in a society with unequal rules for women and men, I thought about ways I have seen women hurt by the inequality of our society. I loved that Selina took this pain and did something with it to make her world better.

On top of these qualities, Ne're Duke Well is sexy and incredibly funny. It is also beautifully written. Alexandra Vasti has a real gift for creating lovable characters and getting into their different head spaces to understand how they see the world and react to different situations. I cannot wait to read what she has in store next!

🌶️🌶️🌶️- Ne're Duke Well has several open-door steamy scenes as well as a heroine who runs an erotic library. Things she has learned from the library are mentioned.

Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is top tier historical romance!! I had read her novellas and found her through some other authors recommendations and she never gets it wrong. This book was everything you would want from a historical romance, the characters were well developed and I loved the community Vasti created. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it will be a definite reread.

I've been following Alexandra Vasti's writing since her Halifax Hellions trilogy and her first full-length novel lived up to expectations. Anyone going into any Vasti novel needs to be prepared for scorching hot intimate scenes. No closed-door romance is to be found here. One thing that I appreciate about Alexandra's writing is her female characters are always strong and out of the norm for their period, but the idiosyncrasies, weaknesses, and fears that make up a well-rounded character are always there.

The romance between Peter and Selina was swoon-worthy. Beyond the bedroom scenes, their connection and ability to provide each other with the emotional support they need make this a must-read romance. I can't help but hope that we might eventually get a book with a grown Lu as the heroine. Now, there's a heroine that would flip the Ton on its head!

3.75 ⭐️ It’s a very well written book but my eyes started skimming halfway through, it just wasn’t for me. The plot was getting a little too fluffy for me but I appreciate the quality of the debut.

I received my ARC from Net Galley through author’s newsletter - thank you!

This book was a delight. I love a historical romance and when theyre done right its so fun! I loved the male MC and how supportive he was. I loved the slow burn and how they worked together the figure out the conflict. this book was really enjoyable for historical romance lovers!

This was my first time reading a historical romance as well as a book by Alexandra Vasti, and I was very happy with it. I mean, it was confusing at first, maybe because I'm just not used to this style of books, but it quickly got addicting. These characters!! So funny, and the relationship they have throughout this book is 10/10 even though it felt fast. In possibly 70% of the book, there is a lot of spice. I'm not one to enjoy much in a book, but if you are, I'm sure you’ll have no issues enjoying all this book has to offer.

A great historical fiction romance. Great pacing and a twist I didnt see coming. Definitely open door, but it’s fancy British so it reads more proper.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Advance copy- this book was a delight. I loved the main characters, their relationship and the story of the love of a family.